Riders have turned to social media to voice their displeasure with Calgary Transit’s new mobile ticket scanning devices, saying they are overcomplicating the system, and that the city could use a better one.
On July 16, when Calgary Transit (CT) announced the installation of over 100 My Fare ticket validating machines at train platforms across the city, an the extra verification step was added after purchasing and activating an electronic ticket.
Since then, CT said in an email statement to LWC, that they have received 21 complaints via their online service forum about the validating devices.
“Comments are in regard to the number and locations of validators on the platforms, crowding, lineups, and scanning difficulties when the screens have rain on them.”
The mobile validators were installed to curb an uptick in fare evasion that CT has seen since introducing paperless tickets in 2020—intended to be highly visible with yellow plastic casings.
However some users feel like the validators are few and far between.
The 7 Avenue SW station saw the installation of a total of two devices: one at the south end, and one at the north end.
However, one rider, Darrell Chapman, said he had no clue they existed.
“I never noticed it,” he said.
“Maybe they should make it so it grabs your attention.”
Chapman said that he prefers purchasing one-time tickets in paper form, so he said that even if he had seen the mobile validators, he would have had no use for them.
Bin the system before adding more steps, riders say
The validators have been subject to social media conspiracies, concerns, and recommendations.
In Reddit’s r/Calgary forum, one user started a thread calling the CTrain validating saying that the machines don’t do anything, and was a conspiracy of sorts.
Since the post was made on July 30, it has received upwards of 80 comments and thousands of views.
In response to those claims, Calgary Transit said that the validators do serve a specific function, and that these are an electronic alternative to the traditional method of authenticating fares.
“Just like bus validators, our platform validators keep a log of each ticket scanned in real time,” read the statement.
“While the appearance of the ticket doesn’t change between activation and validation, our officers carry hand-held scanners that they can use to confirm whether and when a ticket has been validated.”
On Instagram, the City of Calgary made a post on July 15, reminding transit users to validate their e-fare using one of the new devices.
The post garnered nearly 150 comments, with many stating similar sentiments to the complaints submitted to Calgary Transit’s customer service representatives.
Congestion, noise, and screen glitches were all named by Instagrammers as common observations.
Additionally, dozens of comments suggested implementing tap and pay, because if the goal is to suppress fare evasion, they said it would be more effective to catch this at the door.
Calgary Transit welcomes suggestions, they say
An increase in people talking about the mobile validators on social media prompted Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness to ask questions of administration during the July 29 regular meeting of the council.
“The challenge I have is the common comment is, to Calgarians, is it feels like our decision is making it harder for people to want to step onto transit,” she said.
Following that query, Coun. Wyness formally directed city admin to analyze the implementation of the validation devices, why Calgary’s train system does not include platform gates, and whether this should be considered in the future.
In the meantime, Calgary Transit said that they will continue to monitor their social media accounts and formal CSR submissions to understand where residents feel that improvements are needed.
“It is still very early, and we expect there may an adjustment period as customers get into the habit of scanning before boarding a train,” read the statement.
Transit users wishing to submit feedback have been directed to do so on the My Fare app or online under the CTrain section.
